Tom Jobim once said that João Gilberto likes to play samba with one musical note.
Unfortunately, money, not music, is setting the tone for a family dispute after the death of the bossa nova creator a month ago.
There are five protagonists in this samba - siblings João Marcelo, 58, and Bebel Gilberto, 53, and Luisa Carolina, 15 (represented by her mother, Claudia Faissol), plus Maria do Céu, João's partner with whom he lived in his final years. They are all engaging in a fight for his estate.
In terms of wealth, there is little. There are no properties, for example, but there are guitars with historical and financial value.
His music earns between $ 12,000 and $ 30,000 per month. This is in addition to the millions that EMI owes the artist, still the target of a legal dispute. The heirs agree one thing— that the record company harmed João.
Another issue, not monetarily measurable, is the affection of João Gilberto. The children and his past lovers duel to know who João loved the most and who failed the musician.
João Gilberto Pereira de Oliveira, 88 years old, died on July 6th. The time of death is not accurate, but there are five causes - pulmonary edema, acute myocardial infarction, intestinal obstruction, inguinoscrotal hernia and, more generally, disease.
The death of Miúcha, his second wife and Bebel's mother, in December, shook him. A month later his older sister, Dadainha, died. At the end of June, João's black and white cat died.
A fight within the family contributed to his physical decline. Firstborn João Marcelo and Bebel have been involved in legal disputes since 2017 when Bebel began her father's interdiction process because his health was declining and his financial situation worsened - the musician was kicked out of his Leblon apartment in southern Rio.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon